David Matyas, a Member of the Firm in the Health Care and Life Sciences Practice in the Washington, DC office, was among 16 of the country's leading lawyers on the Stark Law who were convened by the American Health Lawyers Association's Public Interest Committee to discuss the efficacy of the Stark law, the federal physician self-referral statute.
The goal of the "Convener" on Stark Law was to discuss the unintended consequences, challenges, and possible reforms of the physician self-referral laws, and to prompt government consideration of alternative approaches to the regulation and enforcement of Stark as part of the health care reform debate.
The Convener was held in two sessions in Washington, DC, the first on April 24, 2009, and the second on June 30, 2009, during AHLA's annual meeting.
Representatives from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Department of Justice, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Payment Issues, and U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging were present to observe and listen to the dialogue and ask questions.
A White Paper summarizing the participants' views on the efficacy of and the potential improvements to the Stark law is here.